The National Fish Hatchery, White Sulphur Springs

Did you know that the US Fish & Wildlife Service has 70 Nation Fish Hatchery locations throughout America?   West Virginia is home to one, in the southeast portion of the state, in White Sulphur Springs.

Located along the Midland Trail, on the outskirts of a quiet town, millions upon millions of rainbow trout eggs and fry have been shipped to locations across the country.  The National Fish Hatchery in White Sulphur Springs has been open to the public for generations and serves as a source of information about conservation and ecology as well as being responsible for stocking local waters with rainbow trout.  You can tour the information building and arrange a guided tour of the enclosed pools where they have fry and baby rainbow trout, in addition to freshwater mussels.  There are outdoor pools with feeding stations which have much larger trout and are a lot of fun to watch.  This is a great activity for kids and a nice, paved, quiet place to stretch your legs and take a relaxing walk.

At least twice per year the hatchery is host to fishing derbies where children can try their luck at catching their dinner.  During the Dandelion Festival in White Sulphur Springs, on Memorial Day weekend, the Rotary sponsors the first derby.  The second is in October during the Freshwater Folk Festival, hosted by the fish hatchery.  These are both great opportunities to experience the areas of the hatchery that are otherwise off limits, as staff are available to take you on tours and answer questions.

If you are traveling along the Midland Trail and find yourself in White Sulphur Springs, The National Fish Hatchery should be one of your quick stops along the way.

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